"Principally, we agreed that violence must be stopped now. Now, not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, because enough blood has been shed, there have been enough people who have suffered," said Natalegawa.
The Minister said in the press conference after met Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sudan Ali Ahmed Karti at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Friday, Feb 24.
Natalegawa also said that Indonesia has signed an agreement with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to support peace in the Middle-East.
"It is very unfortunate that UN has failed to take a stance about conflict in Syria, therefore we have to push more the diplomatic effort," he said.
Besides, Natalegawa further said Indonesia has been encouraging Sudan to promote diplomatic efforts to reconcile with South Sudan and to pursue diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict through peaceful ways.
"Those indicated the good will of Indonesia to promote peaceful reconciliation, not only in the Middle-East region but also globally," he said.
On the other hand, Karti said Sudan has learned much from Indonesia`s experiences in solving civil conflicts, such as in Aceh and East Timor.
"We met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono yesterday (Thursday, Feb 23), and he gave much advice about the situation in Sudan. We also have learned from Indonesia's experiences to create a peace agreement and organize meetings to stop the conflict between the government and the rebels," he said.
He further said Sudan has endeavored to reach out to South Sudan to discuss issues about borders and security and promote dialogue, rather than confrontation.
"We call to our brother (South Sudan) to say that Sudan is now open for them and looking for good relations with them, since they are our close neighbor who shares borders of 2,000 km, the longest border in Northeast Africa, to help the people living along the border together, rather than raise tensions," said Karti.
The relationship between Indonesia and Sudan has been close since 1955, when Indonesia hosted the Asia-Africa Conference.
Besides the situation in Sudan, the two ministers also discussed the economy and socio-cultural cooperation between the two countries.
(A060)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
